Interesting thread.
If I was going to move anywhere I would move to New Zealand. Lots of tourists, particularly in the Sth Island, might get annoying, but in a pandemic, not so much. That aside, it is a beautiful country.
Interesting thread.
If I was going to move anywhere I would move to New Zealand. Lots of tourists, particularly in the Sth Island, might get annoying, but in a pandemic, not so much. That aside, it is a beautiful country.
Yes!
Of course you do get a bit of sh*t as an Aussie in New Zealand and taxi drivers insist on talking about rugby, which is honestly a foreign language to most Australians (the sensible Australians at least), but other than that it is all good.
Australians and New Zealanders can travel between the two countries freely (though not so much at the moment with the pandemic) and while you need a passport to get in (but they don't stamp it) you can stay in either country as long as you like.
I agree somewhat with both of you here. The "intent" is certainly in the regulatory framework in Europe, but after 14 years I'm still amazed at how much work is done "under the table" as we say. The lengths people go to avoid taxes and regulation is amazing, though it bites them in the *ss every time something goes wrong and a warranty is needed. I'm of course not referring to govt corruption... Just cash in hand to avoid VAT, etc.
Maybe it has changed in the States the last 15 years, but I just don't recall tax avoidance on a local, non-corporate level being so widespread over there.
Chikashi Miyamoto
Well, seeing how VAT is an extremely regressive tax regime and the great lengths the wealthy go in Europe to hide wealth via off-shore structures, European Tax avoidance is a completely rational behavior..
You can just look at the Cum-Ex scandal in financial markets as a small indication.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CumEx-Files
Thread drift warning: That's why Elizabeth Warren speaking of a wealth tax is a complete non-starter. They always talk about nominal rates etc, but reality is the lobbyists will get a hold of the bill and after making loopholes, you will get a much reduced effective rate which no one discusses. It is the same dodge used by the Trump Tax cut. The discussion was on a nominal rates, but taking in deductions added, effective rate cut for the wealth was much larger.
Additional thread drift warning: As long as I mentioned Trump, even though I dislike the person, his administration attempt to rush through KYC requirements for cryptocurrencies is a good thing. It is unthinkable you do not know the ultimate UBO of a financial asset. This asset has two functions right now- speculation and money-laundering. The only way to combat money laundering is to proper KYC. You can not just be a wallet. However, since this wrecks the speculation gravey train, the vested interests (Coinbase, Union Sq Partners, Winklevoss, etc) are all lobbying heavily against this because if you can make a buck, you feign ignorance and become complicit. This is the fundamental issue with tax and finance which links it all together.
In a nutshell, I often think the ability to rationalize and turn a blind eye to make a buck is the source of all our global problems.
End of Thread Drift and rant.
Point 1- I'm not sure what you're talking about a fondness for "rights." OP is saying he feels oppressed in the US, and wishes to move. Oppression comes from a lack of rights and equality, or actionable processes to support them. It has nothing to do with my opinion of rights or not.
You seem to be insinuating something, but I'm not sure what. I spoke the language fluently to where people couldn't tell I wasn't from there, but sometimes thought I was from a different region of the country. Spouse and family are from/live there. I never had any issues with being American or anything else. My points are based on real life experiences.
For example, my sister in law recently received a speeding ticket in the mail. From a location aprx 500km from where she lives. She wasn't even there, and can demonstrate without any doubt she was not in said location at the time of the ticket (an automated system based on radar overhangs, fairly common in EU). It was a glitch in the system. Guess what? She has no recourses, and exhausted the process- verdict: pay the ticket or lose your license and incur further fines. So, she paid it. For Americans that is almost unfathomable. I could give many examples, but you get the point.
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Point 2- Please read before assuming and making up tales. I never said anything remotely close to "the US has it better than anyone else." That is completely and totally incorrect. Re-read my post. I said, "Americans don't know how good they have it," specifically with regards to the points I made about efficiency, etc. The grass is always greener as they say.
Had you actually read my post, you would have also seen that I also included the positives. Again, I was specifically referencing doug's post about the process, and what most American expats find difficult to swallow.
I'm not insinuating anything. I can't stop you from reading into what I said, but there's nothing below the surface. Whatever you read down there, they're not my words.
I suspect you're right that I don't understand what you're saying. However, since this is about neither you nor me, it's probably not vital.
Chikashi Miyamoto
I'd check this place out, myself.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/w...gtype=Homepage
Jay Dwight
Or, if the OP needs a bit of space, this place down in the DR might work:
Nice work-out room, and a wood shop too. Given the terrain, 12.5 acres are probably enough to add an MTB trail.
Personally, I think the V-Salon should buy it and turn it into a timeshare for Salonistas.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/r...smid=url-share
Hah - I was just looking at this: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/r...e=articleShare
Of course, there is the small problem of covid rates and the price suggests it is a money pit. But it has a tower! And it is in Italy!
When I lived in Mexico, my preferences were a little primitive, a lot simpler and less.
cue a member of my family, up on that tower, shouting insults in a bad French accent ...
Dan Fuller, local bicycle enthusiast
Sort of related to this topic... this is a very interesting site showing the lifestyles people live around the world at different income levels, adjusted for US buying power. Best viewed on a large screen.
https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street
Okay, Jorn, I kind of get it now. The house you built has a tower, sort of.
Jay Dwight
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